For the very first time, in over 100 years, Baselworld welcomes an auction house into the fair. During this year’s fair, the world leader in watch sales, Phillips Watches —Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo— will be at the Messeplatz. Never before has an auction house exhibited in a major watchmaking show. Phillips in Association with Bacs&Russo is the world's leading auction house in the watch market, exceeding CHF 110 million Swiss Francs in 2019, breaking several world records including several watches exceeding CHF 1 million Swiss Francs. 

For this premiere, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will exhibit to the general public, on the one hand, a selection of the most prestigious watches, modern and vintage highlights from its spring auctions, some of which have never been seen by the general public, and on the other hand a selection of extraordinary watches lent by private collectors for the pleasure of sharing them with as many people as possible. The exhibition space that will be exclusively reserved for it will benefit from a prime location in the main Hall 1.

Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld said: “By welcoming the Phillips auction house, Baselworld will offer its 80,000 visitors the unique opportunity to discover and admire exceptional watches that have marked the history of watchmaking. The younger generations and the general public are interested in mechanical watches made unique by their history, provenance, technique, patina, and age. I am particularly pleased to welcome the prestigious Phillips company and warmly thank Aurel Bacs and Alexandre Ghotbi for their confidence in jointly opening up a new avenue at Baselworld.”

Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant and Alexandre Ghotbi, Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle-East of Phillips commented: “Exhibiting in the heart of the world's largest watchmaking exhibition is a magnificent opportunity to present to collectors and watch aficionados, exceptional pieces that Phillips has assembled for its spring sales, but also watches from private collections never before exhibited together.  We believe that our mission is to promote the art and culture of watchmaking, past and present, and we work hand in hand with all manufacturers, large and small, to this end. It is, therefore, an obvious choice for the world's leading watch auction house to be present at Baselworld. We are very happy to pave the way at Baselworld and thank Michel Loris-Melikoff who has shown a visionary openness by giving us a high-quality welcome at the exhibition.”

For over 100 years, Baselworld has been The World Watch and Jewellery Show. Amongst its exhibitors are Rolex, Patek Philippe, LVMH and Chopard, alongside exhibitors who are world leaders in the domains of jewelry and precious stones, in addition to those of technical industries. 

Baselworld will take place in Basel, Switzerland from April 30th to May 5th, 2020.

For more info on Baselworld click here and for Phillips Watches here.